Dropbox partners with Microsoft for improved Office integration
In an unexpected announcement today Microsoft and Dropbox have revealed that they're joining forces to integrate Dropbox more closely into Office.
The link up will allow Office files to be edited directly from the Dropbox mobile app and the changes synced across devices. It works the other way too with access to Dropbox from within Office.
Dropbox links can also be shared directly from within the Office app. The changes will roll out to all users of Dropbox for Android and iOS over the next few weeks. They'll be available for Dropbox for Business customers with Office 365 licenses too.
Microsoft's Office blog also confirms that next year connections will be added to both Dropbox and Office Online web services.
Writing on the Dropbox for Business blog Ilya Fushman, head of product for Dropbox and Dropbox for Business says, "With this partnership, we're bringing the magic of the Dropbox and Office desktop experiences to mobile and the web. What does that mean for you? In short: boundless productivity. You'll be able to edit Office documents right from your Dropbox mobile app, and access your Dropbox from within your Office apps".
You might wonder where this leaves Microsoft's own OneDrive cloud storage service which will continue to appear alongside Dropbox in Office apps. It seems that Microsoft is simply recognizing that with Dropbox for Business in use in over 80,000 organizations worldwide, and the service being home to more than 35 billion Office documents, it simply can't afford to ignore a potentially valuable source of users.
"In our mobile-first and cloud-first world, people need easier ways to create, share and collaborate regardless of their device or platform," says Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. "Together, Microsoft and Dropbox will provide our shared customers with flexible tools that put them at the center for the way they live and work today".
Is this a surprising announcement or is it an inevitable consequence of the state of the cloud storage market? Let us know what you think in the comments.